Automatic control device



July 29, 1969 K. c. JOHNSON 3,457,942

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE Filed March 21, 1966 I n 54 40' /4 i INVENTOR.

F l G. 3A KENNETH c. JOHNSON BY TTORNEY United States Patent 3,457,942AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE Kenneth C. Johnson, 154 Promenade St., EastProvidence, RI. 02906 Filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 546,110 Int. Cl. Gd11/00; B05b N30 US. Cl. 137-118 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thisinvention is directed to a fluid control mechanism which comprises amember having a floating member positioned therein. An inlet port isutilized to provide fluid to said chamber and a plurality of outletports are provided which communicate with said chamber, the floatingmember having means formed therein to bleed fluid through any outletport against which it has moved.

The present invention relates to improvements in control devices andmore particularly to an improved automatic fluid control device.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved automaticcontrol device wherein a simple combination of relatively movablemembers is provided and the members are so constructed and arranged asto automatically achieve control of fluid flow through each of aplurality of ports.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedautomatic control device wherein a pair of relatively movable membersare provided and one of the members has a plurality of ports controlledby the other of the members, relative movement of the members beingeffected by feed back response to conditions in the ports so as toeffect control over all of the ports.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedautomatic control device wherein fluid flow through a plurality of portsis automatically controlled and wherein an increase in flow in one portprovides a feed back force which automatically operates to decrease theflow through that port.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedautomatic control device wherein fluid flow through a plurality of portsis automatically controlled and wherein a decrease in fluid flow in oneport provides a feed back force which automatically functions toincrease the flow through that port.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedautomatic control device wherein fluid flow through a plurality of portsis automatically controlled and interrelated and wherein decrease inflow in any of the ports provides a proportional feed back force whichautomatically functions to increase the flow through those ports.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedautomatic control device wherein fluid flow through a plurality of portsis automatically controlled and interrelated and wherein increase inflow in any of the ports provides a proportional feed hack free whichautomatically functions to decrease the flow through those ports.

A further object of the present invention is to provide Patented July29, 1969 matically controlled in accordance with the foregoing objectsand flow through the ports of each set and the several sets interrelatedas in the foregoing objects.

Various other objects and advantages will become apparent from thedetailed description to follow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing an automatic control deviceaccording to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the planeof line 33 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3A is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the bleed slitand an adjacent outlet port;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the planeof line 44 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the planeof line 5-5 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view through a slightly modified form.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals applyto like parts throughout, it will be seen that I have provided animproved automatic control device 10 which comprises first member 12 andsecond member 14.

It is to be understood that this device can employ a single control forone set of ports or multiple controls for multiple sets of ports as willbe described in further detail hereinafter.

First, a single unit will be described which in effect consists of onehalf of the device shown in the several views. The device 10 is providedwith an inlet connection 16 adapted to be connected to a source of fluidpressure, such as an air supply.

The first member 12 is formed with a chamber 18 of cylindrical shape andopening out at the upper end of the first member. A cover 20 is securedonto first member 12 by screws 22 and the inlet 16 is unitary with thecover 20. Four equidistant radially disposed outlet ports are providedas at 24, 26, 28, 30. The outlet pipes 32, 34, 36, 38 are connected tothe first member, as by weld, to communicate with the several ports,respectively.

The pipes can, of course, communicate with any device or component toreceive controlled fluid flow. An example of such a device would be agas bearing where gas provides a bearing support and control of the gasflow to the several bearing zones is to be controlled.

The second member 14 is an annular member having a central opening 40and a cylindrical exterior surface 42 which is of a size sufiicientlyclose to the size of chamber 18 to permit limited movement of the secondmember relative to the first member. For this purpose, I have found thata total clearance between the first and second members of approximatelya few thousandths of an inch is satisfactory.

The second member is provided with an annular, peripheral slit 44 whichis located in the plane of the co planar outlet ports 2430.

In operation, the fluid under pressure passes from inlet 16 into chamber18 and around the periphery of the second member 14 to and through theoutlet ports 24-30. Under balanced flow and pressure conditions thesecond member centers itself to allow for continued balanced flow. Uponan upset of the flow conditions, as when, for example, flow throughports 28 and 30 are restricted at the use end of the system employingthis control, the pressure at the ports increases in consequence of flowdecrease and the feed back force produced therebyacts to move the secondmember away from ports 28, 30 as shown in FIGURE 4. This automaticallycauses increased flow through ports 28, 30, to correct this upset inconditions.

Where ports 24 and 26 are fed to a system and are acting in oppositionto ports 28, 30, the action of the second member 14 is such as to tendto close ports 24, 26, as shown. The annular slit 44, functions to bleedfluid flow to such outlets 24, 26 so as not to lock in closed relationthereto.

As shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 the first member 12 has a second chamber18' with a third member 14' similar to second member 14 therein. Ports24', 26', 28', 30 with pipes 32, 34, 36, 38' serve another part of asystem such as a gas bearing, not shown, to be interrelated with controlof ports 24-30.

The passageway 48 provides communication between the chambers 18 and 18.Cover 46 closes off the bottom chamber 18'. Third member 14' has acentral opening 40'.

Operation and control of the device in the lower section is the same asin the upper section but as shown in FIGURE 5, the member 14 can moveindependently of member 14. Also, it can interrelate control byincreasing flow or decreasing flow to those parts which will counter theupsets occurring at any of the ports.

In FIGURE 6, a modified form of the device is shown as including acasing member 50 with end covers 52, 54, enclosing the cylindricalchamber 56. An inlet connection is provided at 60 for connection with afluid pressure supply. Multiple radial ports are provided in one planeas at 62, 64, the number of which can be as desired, and in anotherplane, as at 66, 68. The number of ports and the number of sets of portscan be varied and connected for delivery as desired.

Two annular members 70, 72 spaced by plastic washer 74 serve to controlrespective sets of ports as hereinabove enumerated. Although one chamberis common to both, the two members 70, 72 independently can move. Herealso, slits are provided at 76, 78 to allow bleeding and preventlocking.

Otherwise, operation of the two embodiments is substantially identical.

In view of the foregoing, it is believed that I have provided animproved control device which fulfills the objects hereinbeforeenumerated.

I claim:

1. An automatic control device comprising a first member having a firstchamber and an inlet connection adapted to be connected with a source offluid pressure, a fluid path means between said first chamber and saidinlet connection said first member having a plurality of outlet portscommunicating with said chamber and exhausting exteriorly of said firstmember, a second member received in said chamber and of a sizesufliciently close to the size of said chamber to permit limitedmovement of said second member relative to said first member, saidsecond member having surface areas cooperative with said outlet ports ofsaid first member whereby upon movement of said second member relativeto said first member the communication through each of said ports isvariably controlled, said first member having a second chambercommunicating through a passageway formed in said first member with saidfirst chamber, a third member similar to said second member received insaid second chamber, said second chamber having a plurality of outletports exhausting exteriorly of said first member and said third membercooperating with said outlet ports in the same relation as said secondmember to its respective outlet ports according to the conditionsthereat.

2. An automatic control device according to claim 1 wherein saidchambers are of cylindrical shape and said second and third members areof cylindrical shape having diameters smaller than their respectivechambers by a predetermined amount.

3. An automatic control device according to claim 2 wherein the outletports of each chamber are coplanar and the second and third membersrespectively have slit formations opening out in the planes of saidoutlet ports.

4. An automatic control device comprising a first member having achamber and a inlet connection adapted to be connected with a source offluid pressure, means providing a fluid path between the inletconnection and said chamber, said first member having a plurality ofoutlet ports communicating with said chamber and exhausting exteriorlyof said first member, a second member received in said chamber and of asize sufliciently close to the size of said chamber to permit limitedmovement of said second member relative to said first member, saidsecond member having surface areas cooperative with said outlet ports ofsaid first member whereby upon movement of said second member relativeto said first member the communication to each of said ports is variablycontrolled, and in which said second member is freely slidably floatingin said chamber (and has a peripheral shape similar to the peripheralshape of said chamber), and wherein said chamber is of cylindrical shapeand said second member is of cylindrical shape having a diameter smallerthan diameter of said chamber by a predetermined amount, and whereinsaid outlet ports are coplanar and the periphery of said second memberhas a groove formation opening out in the plane of said outlet ports ofsaid first member so as to bleed fluid through any outlet port againstwhich said second member has moved.

5. An automatic control device comprising a first member having achamber and inlet connection adapted to be connected with a source offluid pressure, and a fluid path means between the inlet connection andthe chamber, said first member having a plurality of outlet portscommunicating with said chamber and exhausting exteriorly of said firstmember, a second member received in said chamber and of a sizesufliciently close to the size of said chamber to permit limitedmovement of said second member relative to said first member, saidsecond member having surface areas cooperative with said outlet ports ofsaid first member whereby upon movement of second member relative tosaid first member the communication to each of said ports is variablycontrolled, and wherein said second member is freely slidably floatingin said chamber (and has a peripheral shape similar to the peripheralshape of said chamber), the exterior surface of said second member beingmoveable into contact with the wall of said chamber so as tosubstantially completely close certain of said outlet ports, partiallycover certain of said outlet ports and expose certain of said outletports, said second member being responsive to feedback pressures at saidoutlet ports whereby said second member is moved away from any portthrough which fluid flow has decreased and towards any port throughwhich fluid flow has increased to maintain a preselected pressure fluidrelationship in said outlet ports.

6. An automatic control device according to claim 5, wherein said outletports are coplanar and the periphery of said second member has a grooveformation opening in the plane of said outlet ports of said first memberso as to bleed fluid through any outlet port against which said secondmember has moved.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 443,532 12/1890 Lund 137----1l2 X2,322,658 6/ 1943 Overbeke 137-118 X 2,664,910 1/1954 Boyd et a1.137-118 2,782,739 2/1957 Freer 137118 X 2,832,368 4/1958 Freer 1371l82,956,577 10/1960 Kirkham 137-ll8 X 3,323,533 6/1967 Reimer l37118 XWILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner D. J. ZOBKIW, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 239570

